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When Macon native Rachel Hussey and her fiancé planned their wedding, they hoped to notify their friends and family with an announcement in Hussey's hometown paper, The Telegraph.

But the couple says The Telegraph initially balked at their request because Hussey plans to marry a woman, Laura Wilson.

They were notified by email that, after conferring with management, their announcement would not be allowed in the paper's wedding section, even as a commitment ceremony.

"We got a response that they would not publish it because same-sex unions aren't legal in Georgia," Wilson said.

She said she was surprised by the denial because the attitude in Virginia, where the couple lives, is more open despite the state's recent ban on same-sex marriages.

"We were really disappointed because, even though our marriage isn't legally recognized by the federal government -- or even Georgia or Virginia -- we still hoped we could announce and celebrate it with our hometown."

In the interim, they have received widespread support since an account of their experience appeared in "The Georgia Voice," a media outlet that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.

On Thursday, in an email from Classified Advertising Manager Clero Wright, The Telegraph notified the couple that, "after further review," their announcement will indeed appear in the Aug. 26 edition.

Wilson says they want the exception made for them to become a permanent change, so announcements for same-sex unions can appear side-by-side with legally recognized heterosexual weddings.

The Telegraph's management could not be reached for comment.

Though their August ceremony in Virginia won't be legally recognized, Hussey and Wilson will have a legal wedding in Washington, D.C., this September.